The State has put serious ($400 million) money where its mouth is when it comes to the safety and security of public-school facilities. In the unfortunate wake of school violence, we must ask ourselves if our facilities have all necessary barriers and are able to protect our students against intruders. In 2022-23, you will be … Read More
EDGAR: Staffing, Time & Effort
One of the best benefits of federal grant dollars is the ability to add extra staffing; however, there is much to consider about compliance and documentation for federally-funded staff. The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) must be followed when hiring and documenting the time of federally-funded staff. This article and our accompanying EDGAR Staff … Read More
Basics of State Compensatory Education Funds
Very likely, your charter is receiving a special allocation of state funds to assist with the educational needs of your students who qualify as At-Risk based on state-defined criteria. Like most the other special state allotments, these funds come with special guidelines and requirements. HB 3 in the 2019 legislature changed the formula for allocation … Read More
Silent Panic Alert Technology (SPAT) Grant – Due Dec 12, 2022
Your school may have previously benefitted from the School Safety and Security grant that the State issued in an effort to prevent school violence. More safety funding is being made available with the SPAT Grant being due in the very near future. The SPAT grant is to purchase silent alert technology, and to be honest, … Read More
LASO Grant – Learning Acceleration Support Opportunities
Ready to “round up” some new funding? The latest release of post-COVID funding is called LASO (aka TCLAS II), and CSS is here to be your partner as we wrestle up all the dirt on this new grant that is due December 22, 2022. Preliminary training for LASO has already happened in October (don’t worry, … Read More
The Fingerprinting Process – Employee and Contractors
Do you ever feel like saying “Help! How do I stay in compliance with fingerprinting and background check requirements for my employees and contractors?” Especially with the recent related changes, we’re here to help answer some of your most frequently asked fingerprinting questions. Click here to register now for HR Compliance Tasks online course for … Read More
Maintenance of Equity Requirement Due Dec 9, 2022
Many small charter schools are exempt from the Maintenance of Equity requirement; however, if you have multiple campuses with duplicate grade spans, your LEA will not be exempt. The MOEquity requirement is part of compliance for receiving ARP funds: ESSER III, ESSER Supplemental, or TCLAS. The purpose of checking for MOEquity is to ensure that … Read More
Beginning of Year Activities for Federal Programs
The sun is setting on summer even though it doesn’t feel like it in this Texas heat! There are many things you must remember to do, so CSS has created a federal checklist to help keep you organized. Stay “cool” with compliance, and start checking them off today! The CSS Federal Programs Team works directly … Read More
Internal Controls
What are Internal Controls and why are they important? Internal control is defined as a process, effected by an entity’s board of directors, management, and other personnel, designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of objectives relating to operations, reporting, and compliance. Internal controls are the policies and procedures management establish to achieve the … Read More
Charter School Budget Overview: Best Practices and Processes
Effective financial management starts with a good budget. A realistic budget is a critical management and accountability tool for charter schools at every stage in their development. The process of establishing a budget forces charters to review and prioritize programs and improvements, helping them allocate resources to areas that are key to academic success. It … Read More